Govt must explain why it has failed to deliver €5m for the Shannon Venue – Crowe

Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Clare Cllr. Cathal Crowe has called on Fine Gael to explain why the €5m promised by the government for the Shannon Venue has failed to materialise.

The commitment was made in March 2017, but two years later, not one cent has been delivered.

Cllr. Crowe stated, “People are beginning to get extremely frustrated with the lack of progress on the Shannon Venue. This is an important community and civic venture but it has stalled because of a lack of funding. More than 150 people attended a meeting last week to express their support for the project but to also highlight their concerns.

“Despite Minister Pat Breen, Deputy Joe Carey and Senator Martin Conway expressing their support for the Shannon Venue and their acknowledgement that government funding is necessary, they have failed to explain why the promised €5m has still not been delivered. In fact, none of them attended last week’s meeting to explain the situation.

“Earlier this year Fine Gael attacked my Party for raising this issue. Fine Gael needs to clearly outline its position on this project – on the one hand local reps claim to support the Shannon Venue, while on the other TDs are admonishing me for drawing attention to the financial situation which is stalling progress; a financial situation which has come about as a result of Fine Gael reneging on its funding promise.

“I want to see the Shannon Venue delivered for the people of south Clare, but it cannot be developed without the aid of government funding. Fine Gael needs to deliver on its commitment”, concluded Cllr. Crowe.